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CALGARY—The Conservative party grassroots, ignoring leader Stephen Harper’s political skittishness, formally condemned abortion in passing a declaration of opposition to “gender selection” and entrenched the party’s opposition to legislation on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Those are two areas that the prime minister has insisted the government does not want to reopen. However, the tally of resolutions adopted after this national convention suggest the two are still very much live issues for the socially conservative wing of the party.

At the 2013 policy convention — attended by Harper, who kept well away from reporters — the party reinforced its small-c conservative bona fides.

They did so despite strict time controls that were put on statements from the floor, and limited media access to workshops where the issues were hashed out.

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The rank-and-file voted to re-criminalize prostitution, arguing that the government should target the market for sex, “johns” and human traffickers.

The vote to oppose any legislation on assisted suicide was a close one, 615-502, reflecting the broader divisions in Canada. And while the government insists Parliament has already spoken in voting down assisted suicide in the past, the issue is expected to again come before the Supreme Court of Canada. Quebec has also tabled a bill on the issue.

The government is not obliged to bring in legislation based on the resolutions.

Conservative party members expressed strong views on what they cast as the “right to work,” which one delegate acknowledged would be seen as “anti-union.”

They voted to legally require public sector unions and unions in federally regulated industries like transportation or broadcasting to annually reveal donations to political or media organizations or to political activism campaigns.

They voted to allow unionized workers to opt out of such contributions.

Windsor-area MP Jeff Watson, a former autoworker, had cautioned delegates that it was unfair to target just some unions and not other professional associations or organizations, to little avail.

Party members then voted to ban mandatory union membership more broadly, including in student unions.

One resolution promoted as being “pro-employee” was adopted, despite concerns it would tie employers’ hands: it backed mandatory independent trustees to manage employee pension funds, to keep the money out of the hands of the company or creditors.

There was also full-throated backing for Conservative efforts to strip down public servants’ pay, benefits and pension packages.

Delegates voted to narrow public sector pensions to make them “defined contribution” plans that would reduce employer contributions to be more in line with private sector plans, and to align overall public sector pay and benefit packages with private sector employment.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement supported the motion, as did a small businesswoman who said she can’t compete for workers seeking public sector-level wages. But an Alberta delegate who works as a public servant argued against it, saying there’s no profit-sharing in the public sector and compensation was a “total package.”

Delegates supported a resolution to split the CBC’s funding for its radio and television broadcast arms in two; to legislate “rights” for crime victims to restitution, representation and access to information. And they voted for a move to flatten income taxes by supporting a call for “less progressive tax system by reducing the number of personal income tax brackets.”

There were no resolutions that would condemn same-sex marriage at this convention — but the membership did pass a resolution that supports the “right of faith-based organizations to refuse the use of their facilities to individuals or groups holding views which are contrary to their beliefs.”

“We have to have the freedom to disagree without being immediately classed as being discriminatory,” said one delegate who spoke in favour of the move.

Industry Minister James Moore told reporters the government is not, however, bound to bring in legislation based on any of the policy resolutions.

“Our mandate as a government comes from Canadians in an election campaign. Parties choose our party platform. The leader chooses the election platform. On that basis we are elected to govern, and we govern on that basis.”

He said the governing mandate is outlined in the recent throne speech.

“This convention is very much about the next campaign, organizing, creating 338 ridings across the country, setting in place party policy which will feed into the platform for the next campaign which the prime minister will obviously lead and prioritize.”

Moore suggested that the delivery of abortion services is a health-related service that is primarily a question for the provinces in any event. He said the resolution that was adopted by the convention urging the government to condemn gender selective abortion was merely a “declaration of a value shared by all parties, not a repudiation of the government’s refusal to allow the issue to come to a vote last spring.

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